Simple Guide for Flutes: Origin, Types, and How to Play It

This member of the group of woodwind instruments has many names and is extremely rooted in culture and history. These aerophones produce rich vibrant sounds. Here’s a brief history and the types of flutes available across the world that have driven many music lovers to pursue this musical instrument even though it is very hard to play for a long time.

    1. Origin

The oldest fragment of the flute was found at the Divje Babe in Slovenia which is possibly 43,000 years old. As this instrument has been associated with history there is much confusion with the origin of this instrument. In 2008 another flute fragment was found near Ulm, Germany, in the Hohle Fels cave which is 35,000 years old. 9,000 years old flute was found in China which is still playable was made out of bone. Popular artists like Lizzo also play flute, this has been one of the most popular musical instruments since the time of its inception.

    2. Types of Flutes

Across the world, you will find various types of flutes called by various names. From the furthest corner of Asia to Europe every part has a different name for flutes and this charming wind instrument is deeply rooted in their history, mythology, and culture. Here we have mentioned these traditional names alongside the modern version of flutes.

    • Concert – the most popular and widely used flute which is tuned into the key C. This sort of flute is best for jazz bands, marching bands, and flute ensembles.

    • Curved head concert – this one is also tuned into C key but this type of flute has a curved head. It is best suited for smaller players.

    • Piccolo – this is the smallest flute.

    • Open-hole concert variants – this is best for seasoned players as it has the open-hole feature.

    • Alto – this offers a rich and mellow sound.

    • Bass – this is a soft dynamic range that is also tuned into the C key.

    • Contrabass – This one is also ideal for flute ensembles.

    • Sub-contrabass – this one is another exclusive flute ensemble option.

    • Double contrabass – this is the second-lowest flute and also offers powerful and rich tonality.

    • Baroque – this type of flute is traditionally made with wood although there are many modern Baroque flutes made out of resin.

    • Fifes – this is a high-pitched flute similar to the piccolo.

    • Bansuri – this flute is deeply rooted in the history and mythology of India and Nepal. This side-blown flute is made out of bamboo stalk.

    • Shinobue – This is the traditional Japanese form of flute.

    • Dizi – traditional Chinese flute.

    • Vessel Flute – this sort of flute was invented in 1853 in Italy.

    • Panpipe – this is also known as the pan flute; this was developed in Greece and is also associated with the rich mythology of this country.

    • Ney Flute – deeply rooted in the history of the Middle East and various Persian mythological tales.

If you are willing to learn how to play flute then you will have to find which sort of flute suits your technique. Based on the list do your research and make sure that you choose a flute that you can handle.

    3. How to Play a Flute

Are you willing to learn how to play a flute? If yes then, you can follow these simple steps to learn about how to play a flute on your own. These steps are some primary steps if want to learn further then you must vouch for a teacher who will teach you how to play this historically rich and charming instrument.

    • Breathe – take a deep breath, and smile as it helps you to play better. Now start making a ‘too’ sound without being too loud.

    • Produce the Sound – You can use a Head joint to start repeating the same process mentioned earlier, this will allow you to produce a sound.

    • Tonguing – with the help of your tongue control the flow of your breath in the head joint instrument and you will be able to produce a ‘too-too’ sound with it. The more you practice; the ‘too-too’ sound will gradually change into the actual sound of a flute.

The final step to learn playing flutes is learning the Glissando Techniques. Once you have learned the primary three steps to play a flute you will have to learn advanced techniques to play a flute. There are various types of Glissando techniques to play a flute. And this will be taught in the advanced classes of playing a flute. Along with these techniques, you will also have to learn how to assemble a flute and how to hold a flute properly to play it. But you can take a flute of your choice, the smallest flute, or any flute of your choice and repeat the process mentioned earlier to practice the primitive steps of playing the flute.